Yes, there are tandems that have fat tires and we ride them on unpaved roads. This is the second year we have organized a fall rally for these bikes. We call it “dirty” GTR because the odds are that we are going to get dirty…and this year the name was a perfect description!
We brought a small group to Forsyth, Georgia (located about an hour south of Atlanta) for a weekend of riding and socializing.
Spoiler alert: ice cream photo ahead! The weather forecast was not looking great, but those who stuck it out were rewarded with challenging, fun rides that were rain-free!
Day One featured ten couples and two ride choices from Juliette, GA – made famous by Fannie Flagg with her book (and movie) called Fried Green Tomatoes.
The long option was 38 miles and the short option (which we did) was 26 miles. Afterwards some of our riders ate lunch at the WhistleStop Cafe, and enjoyed those fried green tomatoes. We returned to Forsyth and lunched at the Grits Cafe, where we also had…fried green tomatoes.
After the rides on Friday and Saturday, we gathered at Fox City Brewing to sample some beer.
Day Two greeted us with mist, which cleared up just after the ride start. The eight remaining couples rode the 28-mile option and did not see a drop of rain. But we did see a bunch of dirty bikes and riders after we all finished.
Day Three was a 20-mile ride from the hotel, which the remaining seven teams enjoyed with plenty of time for a shower before check-out time.
The special star of the weekend was Scoops on the Square. It’s a favorite ice cream shop for us whenever and wherever we find a franchise. We had ice cream served your way all day on both Friday and Saturday and our group really lapped it up.
Next up, we head west to enjoy the bike lanes and paths of Southern California.
Eve and Roger's Cycling Adventures 
That looks like the perfect weekend!
Thank you, “wise woman”!!
We always smile when we read your posts. :):)
Thanks, but we missed you!
On my way to Hamilton, GA for horse show this weekend. Saw not one, two, but three tandems near Forsyth. Hmm, wonder who they were.
Darlene, that is very cool! It’s great to be “seen”!
We had a blast! Can’t wait until next year!
We had a great time with you, thanks for joining the fun.
What a great post to start my morning with, Eve. Thanks . Fun photos and descriptions.
Excited to let you know our book In Tandem: Pedaling Through Midlife on a Bicycle Built for Two is out! Check out InTandemBook.com
Super interested in your thoughts and reactions if you or Roger read it
There were two ride options on Saturday, and we added a third. 😦
Sadly, we’re just not hard-core anymore, so when we walked out to the saturated parking lot ready to hop in the truck and head to the remote start at 7:45am we realized it wasn’t raining, we were actually standing IN the “moisture-filled, misty cloud.” Based on Debbie’s reaction to the weather, we nixed the idea of pressing on. A short-term loss for the long-term gain, e.g., I’ve got to keep it enjoyable if we’re to keep on playing in the dirt. 😉 So, we ran into and asked Lora & Jim to pass along our regrets for bailing to Roger and Eve and packed-it in.
We’d had such a good time seeing friends on Thursday night at the hotel, on Friday’s ride, at the aviation museum and then at the Dirty GTR (Georgia Tandem Rally) rally social and dinner on Friday night, we opted to claim victory and cut-short our weekend event as Sunday didn’t look much different at that point, but with the accuracy of weather forecasting these days… who knows?
In retrospect, we’re so glad our more intrepid friends enjoyed Saturday’s ride, had a great time with the post-ride activities on Saturday, and also got in a 20-mile ride from the hotel on Sunday with sunny skies.
Our heart-felt thanks go out to our long-time friends and wonderful hosts for all these great GTR events, Roger & Eve. When we think back at the 24 GTR events we’ve been to since 1999, this is perhaps the 3rd where weather was really a major factor. Not a bad record, to be sure!